


Escalation Points

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Undertale (Video Game), underswap
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Kissing, Biting, Cheek Kisses, Chest Kiss, Childhood, Clumsiness, Developing Relationship, Distraction Kiss, Drabble Collection, Drunken Kissing, Embarrassment, F/M, First Meetings, Fishbones - Freeform, Forehead Kisses, French Kissing, Grief/Mourning, Hipbone Kiss, I've Missed You Kiss, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Infertility, Kissing, Miscarriage, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Public Humiliation, Reunions, Romance, Sad Kiss, Self-Esteem Issues, Shut Up Kiss, Shyness, Skeletons kiss by biting, Stomach Kiss, Time Skips, Tumblr Memes, Tumblr Prompt, Underwater Kiss, goodbye kiss, kiss meme, papdyne, undyrus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 3,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28601766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: For every next step Papyrus and Undyne take in their relationship, there's a kiss to go with it.(My collection of Swap Undyrus Kiss Meme ficlets, based on my favorite prompts from various lists.)
Relationships: Papyrus/Undyne (Undertale)
Kudos: 68





	1. Kiss on the Cheek

**Author's Note:**

> First off, to be clear: No hate to the canon ships! I just really like Undyrus in this AU <3
> 
> Secondly, I headcanon that because skeletons aren't equipped with lips, they "kiss" by giving their partner little love bites so there's going to be a lot of that XD

The fish girl kept staring at him. Curiosity wasn’t too unusual; Papyrus and Sans were the only skeletons in town, which naturally drew interest, but every time Papyrus glanced over she would shrink shyly back behind her mother’s legs. His momentary distraction at this ended with a yelp as he was blindsided by a snowball, courtesy of Sans’ new friend from the older class. Her aim wasn’t too gentle; the smack to the face bowled him right over, to Sans’ audible dismay.

“Oh, gosh! Alphys, that was mean! You gotta be careful! Are you hurt, Papy?”

His cheekbone was stinging and the ice in his eye socket was distinctly uncomfortable but—“No, m’fine,” he huffed, accepting Sans’ help rising.

“Y-Your cheek’s scraped up,” a small voice ventured, making him jump. The fish girl, who had finally summoned her courage to approach, flinched at his reaction. “I just…she threw that snowball really hard. It looked like it hurt. I-I got a bandage if you want one. I wanna be a doctor when I g-grow up, so I always carry—”

“Undyne, what did I say about wandering off?!” her mother called.

“Sorry, Mama! Um…gotta go, sorry, bye,” she stammered, glancing between the puzzled skeleton brothers before lifting herself on tiptoe, pressing a quick kiss to Papyrus’ grazed cheekbone. He sputtered, recoiling toward Sans as she darted away.

“Aww,” Alphys drawled, snickering. “Does little Papy have a secret _girlfriend?_ ”

“What? No!” he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. “I don’t even know her name.”

 _Undyne_ , wasn’t it?


	2. Kiss on the Forehead

She was burning up, dazed and pallid under Hotland’s oppression. Papyrus had feared this; he had sensed that prickle of dread skittering down his spine and as always, the coward, he had said _nothing_. Undyne knew her own limits, he had assured himself. She wouldn’t overdo it. She would know when to stop and take some time to cool down. He should have known her better than that.

“Pap?” Undyne’s voice was like sandpaper against rusty metal. Her eyes were glazed behind her glasses, wandering his face before sliding up and squinting against the piercing light.

“Hey, ’Dyne-amite. Glad you recognize me,” he admitted brusquely as he rifled through the nearest box for something, _anything_. He had no idea who these items belonged to or how soon they would be returning for them but at this point, he didn’t care. “ _Water_ you trying to do, undermine my reputation? Sleeping on the job is my shtick.”

“No, no…m’fine, really. Just…dizzy…” she croaked, panting sluggishly. All her gills could latch onto was stale, searing air; her face twisted in discomfort at the sensation. “M’head…really _hurts_ …”

On impulse from something tucked privately away in his soul, he bent down, touching his teeth hurriedly to her clammy forehead. “Don’t lose your cool, hon. I’ll figure something out.”

The next time he glanced at her, her cheeks had regained some unexpected color. Those burns sure came on fast.


	3. Drunk/Sloppy Kiss

“It’s okay! You’re okay. J-Just one foot in front of the other, alright?” Undyne coaxed, shuffling sideways as Papyrus swayed into her. He wasn’t as heavy as she might have expected but his legs were too rickety to hold; she had to act as his equilibrium. “I—I don’t know why you do this to yourself…”

“’Cause I’m a _mess_ ,” he spat, cigarette falling from his mouth. “An’ what’s it gonna matter in th’ end? Huh? They’ll drag us all back an’ it’ll be like it never happened…So-o-o, heh, I can get away with anything!” To her disbelief a sob broke out of him as he stared at her. “Anything I ever wanted. S-Sounds like a dream come true, right? I could…I could…”

His head drooped, his face landing against her shoulder, and for a moment she believed he was falling asleep until teeth clumsily grazed the scales of her throat. “ _Ack_ —! P-P-Papyrus!” she choked out, shoving him out to arms’ length as her cheeks flamed plum. “Well, um—I didn’t mean to shout but that—” Without warning every hot vampire fanfic was dancing to the forefront of her mind. “I t-think you’re a little too drunk for…that!”

“…Yeah. Sorry.” Eye sockets watering, he offered a pained grin, swaying and stumbling back out of her grasp. “Sorry…jus’ a bonehead. Drunk ideas’re always stupid ideas. Forget it happened. M’really sorry. Please, forget it. F-Forget me.”

Before she could even think of a response to that, the air rippled around him, stealing him away in a warped flash of light.


	4. Awkward Kiss

For a multitude of embarrassing reasons, Undyne did not dance in public. She had loathed the idea of attending this party but on orders from the Queen, there she was: styled, made up and dressed well, in the arms of a stranger who had badgered her onto the floor.

Undyne would have found it perfectly agreeable to become one with the wallpaper, but she was never well-versed in saying no to people and she hated being a disappointment. With clammy palms and knocking knees, she had truly given it her best shot.

Her mistake. The song came to a resounding conclusion as she stepped on her partner’s feet, only to jerk back and slip on the hem of her dress under her heel. One thought occurred to her as she crashed toward the nearest table: _What a way to die_.

“Undyne!” Blue magic snatched her soul without warning, hauling her sideways before she could upend the plates. Dizzily she swirled, staggered, and tumbled right into Papyrus as he leapt from his seat to catch her. Of course she couldn’t fall delicately in his arms like a fair maiden; stars blinded her as her face bashed into his, drawing “Oohs…” and winces from the others at his table.

“I’m sorry!” Undyne babbled, humiliation scorching through the numbness when she saw her lipstick smeared all over Papyrus’ mouth. “Oh, my stars, I’m so, so sorry!” His teeth looked like a bloody red horror show.

With an awkward laugh he hunched back and ducked his head, accepting the damp napkin Sans offered to wipe his face. “Eugh…well, you came, you saw, you _contoured_ , eh?”

She fled.


	5. Goodbye Kiss

“No, no, you can’t be serious! You’re going to get yourself killed! Do you know what the human can do to you?!” Undyne choked out, wringing desperate fingers into the front of his hoodie. “T-They’ve already killed _Alphys!_ She’s—She was so strong! If she and the Royal Guard couldn’t beat them, how can you with your condition?!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve gotten by with 1 HP since birth,” he deadpanned, the maddening picture of composure. “I know a thing or two about being careful and believe it or not, I’m pretty quick on my feet when I want to be.”

“But this isn’t just—Papyrus, if you don’t make it, I’ll—” _I’ll have no one left_.

“You’ve got people to care for, doctor,” he reminded her evenly, gesturing at the huddled, shivering civilians in the further recesses of the lab. “Your job is to keep them hidden and safe. My job is to hold the human accountable.” Something like black ice crept over his face, grimly twisting his smile. “I am _owed_ a life for Sans. I intend to cash in.”

Undyne’s head was swimming, her soul turning sick somersaults in her chest as she hauled him into a fierce embrace. It was the only way she could keep her legs underneath her. “Please…” she hissed tearfully, lips brushing his cheekbone. “Please, _please_ , come back safe.”


	6. Almost Kiss

“Oh, so _this_ is where the plate of truffles went,” Undyne commented as she stepped onto the roof deck. As he took in the moonlight casting a soft glow on her scales, Papyrus’ joke stalled in his throat for a moment.

“…Caught me in the act, huh? I guess I can’t _sugarcoat_ the truth; I’m ready to give a _confection_. Just _choc_ it up to my sweet tooth.”

“Muffet made those for everyone and I—I haven’t even laid eyes on them since your brother set up the table.”

“Well, then, feast your eyes,” he countered as he pinched a truffle between his fingers for her to examine before swiping it back toward his mouth. He stopped short of actually popping it in; her affronted gasp was what he had really wanted. In the spark of a playful moment, he had simple courage, positioning it in front of her lips.

Undyne tensed, clearly startled, but they had already committed to this encounter. She dare not make it even more uncomfortable.

Her breath was fluttery and warm against his fingertips as she took the sweet. For a split second he could spot her tongue curling around it, her perfect teeth sinking in, and he found himself leaning for a closer look. She mirrored him, lashes flickering low.

“Brother!” The deck door banged open as they hastily recoiled. Sans spared Undyne a curious glance before folding his arms firmly. “I sincerely hope you haven’t stolen away up here so you could smoke without my knowledge!”

“Worse than that!” Alphys growled from below. “He stole the truffles!”


	7. Shut-Up Kiss

“I guess I’m missing the point of what you’re trying to say, Undyne.” Judging by the reluctance in his voice, Papyrus had just lied to her face. She didn’t take it personally, not after all of the lies she had told him and everyone else in the past. Another buried truth was spilling out of her now in wretched, humiliating stops and starts.

“This… _this_ , whatever we have, I don’t deserve it! I don’t deserve you treating me like I’m…worth your time. Back in the Underground, I hurt so many people, too many to ever be redeemed. D-Don’t you remember that? I told myself I was doing my job; all I ever did was fail! I failed you, the Queen, everyone. I took other people’s happiness and they can never get it back! I—I don’t deserve to be happ—”

His hands closing in to cup her face made her jump and the thrust of his mouth against hers made her squeak. It was sudden and inelegant but it did its job muffling her protests.

Only after she finally surrendered to silence did he withdraw, though his hands didn’t move from her flushed cheeks. “I’m the Judge here and _I’ve_ forgiven you. They forgave you too, a long time ago, because they know you’re trying to be better,” he declared, slowly and firmly, his gaze burning into hers. “If you’re ever gonna _get_ better, for their sakes, you need to forgive yourself.”


	8. French Kiss

What was Undyne thinking? She was tempted to be embarrassed by her urgency, barging in on Papyrus with no warning for something as pathetic as validation, but she _needed_ it. She needed to empty the judgmental world around her, fill it with nothing but Papyrus’ wandering hands and love bites. To her great relief he was willing to oblige, even though she had interrupted his lunch break. He didn’t even question her, massaging the sore knots in her back as she leaned on him.

His teeth were sticky as he nibbled at her lower lip. When her tongue darted out, swiping over his marks, she could instantly detect honey; its sweetness blinded her senses to whatever doubt she had harbored before.

It ought to be strange, sliding her tongue through the mouth of a monster who didn’t have one, but the buzz of magic that held his bones together made the void in his jaw feel full. It welcomed her, its essence tangling around her to fuel heady desire. She would take every snatch of sugar his mouth could offer.

It was only when her gills were flaring for air that she broke off, glancing nervously at him. Papyrus looked equal parts dazed and amused from her ministrations. “Y’know, if you wanted to share my lunch _that_ bad, we could’ve split the sandwich,” he pointed out, snickering when she swatted his arm.


	9. I've Missed You Kiss

After making yet another idle round of the front rooms, Papyrus sighed wearily, patting around in his pockets for a cigarette. Exhaustion and common sense reminded him that Undyne would arrive at the same time whether he was awake to greet her or not, but he wanted to make an effort. The conference that had stolen her away made the house feel hollow, stripped of her natural hubbub. He hadn’t realized how comforting it was until it was gone.

Who knew what could happen between hands on the clock? The muffled voice of paranoia needled at him. She may never come home. He may doze off and come to in a reset, every ounce of effort wasted yet again.

When he at last detected a cramp in his leg from wearing down the carpet, he relented to slump over the edge of the couch. Undyne’s throw blanket was nearby, its scent homey, faintly perfumed. The television was on low volume, the drone of static almost soothing.

“…Hi, Pap.” Slim fingers tracing his jaw woke him with a start, eye sockets flaring. Undyne’s kind smile hovered over him in the dim light, easing the tangle of tension in his chest. “Y-You really shouldn’t sleep with a lit cigarette, you know.”

The late-night haze made a joke too much effort. “Rather sleep with you, hon,” he mumbled earnestly, cracking his neck before pushing up on his elbows to catch her lips.

“Mmm. It was sweet of you to try waiting up for me,” she hummed between brief pecks. “Was that so you could, maybe, help me with my luggage?”

He paused. “Y’know, maybe I should go dispose of that cigarette—somewhere else, far away, so it doesn’t pose a danger.”

“Lazybones.”


	10. Distracting Kiss

“Shouldn’t you be in bed already, sleepy-skull?” Undyne questioned, peering up from her work in bleary confusion. “I thought you went off hours ago. I’ll be there soon, I-I just need to finish signing off on these last few files.”

“I did go to bed hours ago,” Papyrus concurred as he draped himself over her shoulders. The sleepy gravel in his voice made her stomach curl. “And that’s what _you_ said…hours ago.” Despite his fatigue, he was just quick enough to stretch an arm out and stop her coffee mug before it reached her lips. “Ah-ah. I’m real good at sleeping…Can do it with my eyes closed, but it’s a little harder to dream about you when you’re so far away.”

“I’m almost done this time, I promise,” she protested. “Just a few more reports. They have to be turned in soon and I’m trying to decide—”

“You can sleep on it, honey,” he purred, nosing aside the strap of her tank top to nip at her shoulder. The skin flushed with warmth between his teeth almost instantly.

“C-Come on, Pap, I really need to get this done! It’s important!” she pleaded, a flustered laugh breaking free as she squirmed like…fittingly, like a fish on a line.

“ _Bonely_ …” he crooned soulfully, ignoring her plight to rock her leisurely back and forth on the stool. “I’m Mr. Bonely…I have nobody for my own…”

“You’re impossible!”


	11. Underwater Kiss

In the span of just a few breaths, everything changed. She, Alphys and the skeleton brothers had been walking the pier, soaking in the scenery and the sunlight, and then some human had decided it would be hilarious to shove Papyrus into the water. They had never faced a scenario like this before; Undyne had wasted precious seconds expecting him to pop right back up, spluttering out some joke about being “soaked to the bone.”

It was only when she heard Sans cry out in horror that Undyne recalled with wrenching clarity: bones were denser than water. While Sans struggled against Alphys’ restraining arms, ready to plunge blindly after him, Undyne hurled her coat and beat him to it.

This was her true element. She spotted Papyrus’ thrashing form through the flurry of foam almost instantly, torpedoing into the depths to make a grab for his shirt.

Papyrus didn’t have lungs to drown, but water closing into every open cavity of his body was clearly worth panicking. He kept flailing and kicking, unaware that he was only making it hard for Undyne to keep her hold.

“ _Shh!_ ” she urged frantically, clawing her way against the current to force her mouth against his. “ _Shhh!_ ” Blessedly the contact slowed his floundering, allowing bubbles to spill between them. They filled his skull in bursts, fluttered through his wide eye sockets as she hugged him. “ _Stay still, you airhead, I’ve got you!_ ”


	12. Stomach Kiss

_I regret everything in my life ever_. An exaggeration, perhaps, but the realization of Undyne’s “bold step toward self-confidence” was kicking in. The swimsuit fit like a glove, which she had appreciated when she was first trying it on. Only now, on the beach among dozens of people, did it occur to her that such a fit meant it left very little to the imagination. Every nearby peal of laughter had to be directed at her.

It wasn’t the sun burning her cheeks as she sat on a folding chair, hiding as much as she could under the towels without looking irregular. She wasted time morosely tracing their patterns until a shadow loomed overhead.

“Mind if I…?” Papyrus began, flinging water as he gestured toward her heap of blankets.

“Oh, uh—of course,” she stammered reluctantly, handing the topmost off to him. Now that he was blocking the sun, she didn’t have to squint as she peeked up, watching him smooth the towel over his…pearly, wet, glistening bones. Gnawing on her lower lip, she tore her eyes away.

“I’ve tried telling towel puns before,” Papyrus remarked offhandedly, “but I guess no one can appreciate my _dry_ humor.” He waited for her to force a hesitant smile before dropping to a crouch.

“H-Hey!” she squeaked as he sifted through the towels, folding their edges back. “I was using—!” How could she give that excuse when she wasn’t even wet? “I-I mean—”

“If it helps at all,” he cut her off, “I think you look great. You’re not a fish out of water unless you act like it.” With a lopsided grin that made her soul jump, he ducked down, nudging his teeth teasingly against the gills near her ribs.

One more thing Undyne could add to her list of horrors and regrets: drawing her knees up in shock and thereby ramming him in the head.


	13. Hipbone Kiss

There was something magnetic about Papyrus’ hips, something Undyne couldn’t get enough of. Perhaps it was the perfect, slim curves, perhaps it was the way his pants always slung low to expose them—or perhaps it was the way he had gasped when she first mustered the courage to wrap her hands around them, pulling him close.

It was a rare privilege to see him flustered and sensitive. Now that she had the chance again, she couldn’t let it slip away. With fickle fingers she traced the curve of his femoral heads, giggling as his knees locked and his toes started to curl.

“Is that okay? Does it feel good?”

“Yeah.” Mercifully she didn’t point out how his voice cracked as he blinked down at her. “Yeah, _fossa_ -tively.” Just for that, she targeted his fossae next, stroking her thumbs in and out along the shallow depressions until he was shivery and panting. “Hhh, okay, I-I think I’m getting the idea. You really know your anatomy, doctor.”

“I’ve got to,” she pointed out coyly. “My job is to make you feel better.” With that in mind she pressed a soft, spongy kiss to the crest of his iliac and couldn’t help but relish the way he bucked against her.


	14. Sad Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mention of failed pregnancy

“I shouldn’t be so upset about it. It wasn’t even…” Undyne’s hands trembled as she shuffled through paperwork without seeing it. “I mean, it’s not as if we didn’t know this could happen. It was…solely experimental. We knew this was a risk from the start. The probability of success was—The hypothesis that two different species could even—”

“ _Don’t_.” The ferocity in Papyrus’ voice was a surprise to her but it was the tremor of grief undercutting it that made her flinch as he grabbed her hand, prying the papers free. His fingers turned her knuckles white as he squeezed them. “Don’t…Don’t _ever_ talk about our kid like it was nothing but a science project. This isn’t some failed test for you to report and jot down for future reference—”

“But I _have_ to treat it that way; I don’t know what I did _wrong!_ ” Tears burst from wild, helpless eyes as she reeled to face him. “I was so _careful_ ; we both were! We did everything we were supposed to so why did it end like this?! Why couldn’t something go right for once in our lives?! We didn’t even have the time to choose a name!”

What was left of the world crumbled around her. With one arm around her heaving shoulders and the other buried in her hair, Papyrus weakly touched his teeth to her temple and cheek, salt bleeding into his mouth as he croaked, “I don’t know. I don’t know.”


	15. Chest Kiss

“Pap? I hope you don’t mind me asking but…where did you get this scar?” Judging by the way his ribs stilled under her touch, he minded, but he didn’t laugh it off or try to shrug away as she had expected. Unblinking, he scanned the ceiling with half-lidded eyes, breaths shallow and silent as she traced the thin line swept across his sternum.

It couldn’t be a series of hairline fractures. The notch on each rib was too precise. If the bones were set edge to edge, Undyne realized abruptly, it would look like one swift, diagonal stroke.

Where had it come from and more importantly, how had he survived it with only 1 HP? Not that she was ungrateful for his life, but a blow severe enough to scar any healthy monster would surely be the end of him. Wouldn’t it?

“An accident,” he answered at last, remembering to blink for the first time in a while. “Heh. I guess I got in the way.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Undyne took it to mean the conversation was over for now. Until the next time she found the courage to bring it up, all she could do was plant a consoling kiss against the cartilage and soak in the light of the fragile soul housed within.


	16. Returned From the Dead Kiss

Somehow the little freak, the dirty _hacker_ had done it. They’d found a way into the lab before Undyne could scramble for a lockdown. One inch ahead of Papyrus’ network and they had taken a mile, slashing their way inside to greet the refugees with a manic grin.

Time and space had slowed as Papyrus tore through the darkness, soul in his throat, pleading, praying. He skidded in the dust on his first step through the rift, Undyne’s warped glasses crunching underfoot.

Now here she was again, ignorant, _innocent_ , glasses knocked askew as he kissed her. It took every ounce of restraint to keep his bites gentle, stifling the primal desperation as he peppered her face. He couldn’t break the skin; she needed to stay _whole_ and _undamaged_.

When would they come to kill her a second time? The new hack was a novelty; they _would_ try again. With a shaky curse he squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his forehead to hers.

“Papyrus? What…was that?” Undyne breathed, sounding faint. Her hands were hovering in surrender, her fins quivering, her pupils blown wide open.

Papyrus had no idea how much of the timeline they had damaged; for all he knew, this could be the first time in her recollection that he’d kissed her. He did so once more, sinking his teeth into the fullness of her cheek for just a moment, just long enough for a pale bruise to rise and fall.

“A promise.”


End file.
